Tyler (Blue Halo Book 6)

Tyler wanted to kick his own ass. Levi had circled back. Why the hell hadn’t Tyler gone straight back to her cabin?

He reached the house in minutes, but before knocking, he took a moment to listen. Only one heartbeat from inside the house. Good.

He knocked on the door. When Emerson opened it, she stood in front of him in leggings and an oversized shirt. There were splatters of paint on her clothes and hands, and a streak of black on her cheekbone, like she’d rubbed her face or brushed hair behind her ear, leaving a trail of paint as she went.

“Are you okay?”

Her chest rose and fell. “Yes.”

“Good. I’m going to do a quick perimeter check. Stay inside, and if you see him again, make noise. I’m going to stay close enough to hear you.”

She gave a quick nod.

He stepped back, then circled the house. At a window on the side of the cabin, there were footprints in the grass.

He trailed them back into the woods. Yeah, the guy had definitely circled back and returned. He’d given himself a wide enough berth that Tyler couldn’t hear him.

Stupid. So damn stupid. He’d been so fixated on the fact he’d lost Levi that he hadn’t been thinking straight.

He jogged back to the door and knocked again. Emerson let him in, and the second he stepped inside, he was hit by the scent of lilacs. He worked hard to control the twitch in his fingers to touch her.

“I found his prints in the yard, but he’s gone now.”

“I figured,” she said softly. Another nibble of her lip. “You were out there, weren’t you? It’s how you got to me so quickly.”

He considered his words, not sure how she’d react. “My team and I have been watching your house since the power went out.” No surprise on her face. He took a small step toward her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I did it because I want you safe. And I’m not leaving.”

Her brows twitched. “I told you, I can’t afford—”

“I don’t care about money, Em.” He took hold of her hips. Touching this woman felt right. He literally couldn’t not touch her. “You hired me to find and bring in your stepbrother. If he’s remaining close to you, I need to be close to you as well.”

And more than that, he needed to know she was okay.

Her gaze went to his shirt. There was another twitch of her brows. Carefully, she lifted a small leaf from the material, then brushed dirt from his shoulder. “Why do you look like you’ve been rolling around on the ground?”

“Because I caught him.”

Her breath hitched, her eyes flashing back up to his.

“But then I lost him,” he quickly added.

Concern transformed her expression. “But you’re both okay?”

“Yes. He clearly circled back while I was still out there. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say sorry.” She stepped away, her hands dropping from his chest, his leaving her waist. And damn, he wanted to pull her back.

“I only have one bed.”

Her statement caused one side of his mouth to kick up. “I can sleep on the couch, honey.”

She laughed, and that sound hit him dangerously low in his gut, heating him from the inside. “It’s a two-person couch, and you’re a million feet tall. There’s no way you’ll fit.”

“I’ll make it work.” Hell, he’d slept worse places.

She scoffed. “Unless you can fold yourself into a pretzel, that’s not happening. I’ll sleep on the couch.” She started to walk away, but he snagged her wrist and pulled her back. Her eyes widened, her hand yet again pressing to him.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch.” He grazed his thumb across her wrist. “The gentleman in me would never allow that.”

There was a beat of silence. The kind of silence you wanted to pause and get lost in.

“I guess we could both sleep in the bed,” she said quietly. “It’s big.”

Something flared to life inside of him at the thought of sharing a bed with this woman. He sure as hell wouldn’t say no. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Amber Eyes.”

Another swipe of his thumb. Her intense stare punched right into his chest before tugging her arm away. “Okay. I’ll just go change.”

He watched as she headed into the bedroom, a smile playing on his lips. The smile disappeared when he glanced out the window. She was too vulnerable out here. What the hell was Levi doing? Just watching her? If he thought she wasn’t safe with Tyler, would he attack any of the Blue Halo team? Or would he try to take her? He was hoping for the former.

A couple minutes later, the bedroom door opened, letting him know she was ready. His insides warmed at the sight of that familiar camisole. At the miles of golden leg exposed by those shorts. Her throat bobbed when she met his gaze. Did she see in his eyes everything he was feeling? Heat…need…desire?

She quickly turned and retreated back into the room.

Yeah, she saw it.

He switched off the lights in the living area before moving into the bedroom. A text came through from Callum. He was out there. Good. For tonight at least, there were two of them here. He felt better about that.

When he tugged his shirt over his head, her gasp sliced through the quiet. His gaze shifted across the room to see her looking at his torso. He looked down, spotting the large purple bruise already visible from where Levi had hit him.

Damn. He shouldn’t have let the guy get a punch in. He was better than that. He shifted his attention back to her. “It looks worse than it is.” And more than that, he was a quick healer. It would be faded by tomorrow.

Slowly, she crossed the room. When she stopped and grazed the discolored skin with the tips of her fingers, his muscles tensed so hard he was sure they’d snap. Her touch left a trail of fire burning across his stomach.

Her gaze lifted, but there wasn’t desire in her eyes, there was something else. Concern. Worry. “I don’t want him to hurt you.”

He slipped his hand on top of hers. “He won’t.”

“You can’t be sure of that. He’s dangerous, and he thinks you’re a threat.” There was a small pause. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you into this.”

He stepped closer, his hand curving around hers, holding her. His other touched her cheek. “I’m glad you did. You don’t need to worry about me. He may be dangerous, but so am I. And I won’t stop until we get him the help he needs.”

Her lips separated like she was going to say something. Then she stopped. Blinked. Whatever it was, became lost as her mouth snapped shut and she stepped away.

He wanted to pull her back, ask her what was going on in that pretty head of hers. But it was late. They both needed sleep. So he let her go…for now.

As she slid between the sheets, he switched off the light and climbed in beside her. He noticed she had a small nightlight on her side that shone a warm light across the ceiling. She didn’t move to switch it off.

His hand twitched to pull her near. Hold her. The thought had no sooner entered his mind when she shuffled closer and lay a hand on his chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. There. That felt better. “You don’t need to thank me for protecting you.”

Emerson woke to a steady thump in her ear. Not only that, but she was warm. So warm, she wanted to snuggle down and stay right where she was longer. Let the seconds trickle into minutes.

It took a few beats to recognize the thumps as Tyler’s heart and the warmth as his smooth skin. That should scare her. It should make her pull away. It didn’t. Because the more she got to know this beautiful man, the more she believed, hoped, and prayed he would understand. If she was open and vulnerable with him and she told him everything Levi had been through, he might still be willing to help. But first, she needed the courage to be open and vulnerable. And she needed to hope like hell he didn’t hate her for not being honest from the beginning.

The hand on her back grazed the skin beneath her top, cutting her thoughts off in their track.

She bit back a groan. God, that felt good.

He did it again. Same thing.

Instead of pulling away or leaning into him, she remained perfectly still. Perfectly caught between what she should do and what she wanted to do. She let his strong heart thrum beneath her ear and the burn of his hand cast a trail of goose bumps along her back.

Slowly, the strokes lengthened, hovering at the waistband of her shorts before rising up to her shoulder blades.

Endless minutes of those long, slow strokes passed. Of her skin tingling and her breaths shortening. It wasn’t until she was on the brink of losing her mind that she looked up to meet his gaze. Tyler was watching her closely. There was no smile on his face.

Her throat closed. The way he looked at her…it was like he saw her need and he approved. Like he wanted her to want him.

Her heart kicked against her ribs, and when her gaze lowered to his lips, the fingers on her back spanned and nudged her that bit closer to him.

“You shouldn’t look at me like that.”

She swallowed and met his eyes. “Like what?”

“Like you want my kiss as much as I want to give it to you.”

Her heart stopped. I do. The words were a breathless murmur inside her from a place she needed to lock away from him and the world.

Unable to stop herself, she stroked a hand across his chest. “Why do I want to forget about everything and get lost in you whenever we touch?”

She probably shouldn’t have asked that question. It was as dangerous as this man’s proximity. But the words tumbled out before she could stop them.

With his other hand, he trailed a finger from her shoulder to her elbow. Every hair stood on end.

“I don’t know,” he said, his voice raspy. “But if you’re lost, I want to be lost with you.”

His words were like an arrow to her chest. Digging into her, claiming her as his.

He felt it too. But she’d already known that. She’d already felt the connection.

The finger trailed back up her arm, passing her shoulder before cupping her cheek. “You’re so beautiful, Em.”

Why did he have to be so perfect and say all the right things?

His fingers threaded into her hair, and his thumb grazed the back of her ear. She couldn’t stop herself. She stretched up and kissed him.

His hold on her neck tightened, the fingers of his other hand spreading, taking up almost her entire back. His soft lips swiped across hers, and God, in that moment she couldn’t give him up. Not the kiss, not the hold he had on her. None of it.

Heat danced in her belly, and lava burned through her. She leaned into him, hand skirting up his skin, grazing every inch of his rock-hard chest.

When her lips separated, his tongue slipped inside her mouth and stroked hers.

She hummed. Christ, this man and the things he did to her. The things he made her feel. It was unlike anything she’d experienced before him. Like a storm of fire and yearning and rightness. Yes, so much right.

The second the word hit her consciousness, though, the questions came. How could it be right when the foundation of the relationship was built on a lie? A lie he might hate her for?

“I can almost hear you thinking,” he whispered against her lips.

It was too late. Cold had replaced the heat in her chest, and she pushed herself up slightly, breaking the contact. It shouldn’t take as much strength as it did. It shouldn’t take her remembering why she was here.

This time, her heart thumped for a different reason. His hands remained behind her head and back. She was so weak that she didn’t even want him to drop them. He didn’t seem annoyed that she’d stopped kissing him. More intrigued.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, Amber Eyes?”

He knew. Not what she was hiding, but that she was hiding something.

Yet he didn’t push. Because that was the kind of guy he was—good. He was all good. Whereas she…

She had to stop. The kisses. The touches. Everything. At least for now.

“We should get up,” she said quietly. “I have to finish a commissioned piece this week, and we need to do a walk around town.”

For Levi. He was her reason for being here. She had to remember that.

Tyler brushed some hair back from her face. A beat passed, where he looked into the depths of her eyes and seemed to find everything. The hesitation. The battle that raged. Then, finally… “Okay, honey.”

He was letting her go without forcing her to share her secrets. The relief almost whooshed from her chest.